Tag

patterns

28
May
2013

It’s Here!

and I’m dancing around my apartment!

Shawl Geometry cover-large

It’s the ebook for the Shawl Geometry blog series.

You can learn more about the ebook, and buy it over here.

But why should I buy the ebook when I could just follow the blog?

A couple reasons actually.

  1. immediacy: you get the FULL Shawl Geometry series. Immediately.        The blog series is scheduled to finish the last week of July. When you buy the ebook you get it all right now.
  2. convenience: you can access it offline. Print pages to stick in your knitting bag, or scribble notes all over.
  3. ease: you don’t have to dig through tons of blog posts to find the shape you’re looking for. In the ebook they’re all in one place, right at your finger tips.

and for $23 it’s WAY easier than reinventing the wheel.

Or click here to get more information about the Shawl Geometry ebook.

27
May
2013

Shawl Geometry: Triangle with Wings #1

This is the seventh post in a series about different shawl shapes and how to knit them. All the posts in the series can be found right here.

Shawl Geometry: all the knit shawl shapes you could even need

Triangle with Wings #1 from the top down

The second variation on the traditional right angle triangle has “wings,” which makes the top edge of the shawl curve up around the shoulders helping the shawl stay in place more easily. This type of shawl is also occasionally called a heart shaped shawl, but I’ve always seen wings rather than a heart.

To shape a Triangle with Wings, you work the first half of your shawl as if you were working a Right Triangle, then at your halfway point, you increase the rate at which you work the shaping along your top edge, from every other row, to every row. This additional shaping produces the wings of your shawl.

Knitting Instructions

CO 7sts.
{4 border sts + 2 sections + 1 spine}
R1: k2, yo, k1, yo, pm, k1, pm, yo, k1, yo, k2.
R2: purl across.
R3: k2, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k to last 2sts, yo, k2.
R4: purl across.
Rep R3&4 to half your desired shawl depth.
R5: k2, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k to last 2sts, yo, k2.
R6: p2, yo, p to last 2sts, yo, p2.
Rep R5&6 to desired dimensions.
Bind off loosely.

Triangle with Wings from the bottom up

To create a bottom up triangle with wings is totally possible, but the math to figure out the number of stitches to cast on at your hem is a bit tricky. I found the easiest way to calculate the number of hem stitches was to think of the shawl in two halves: top & bottom.

For the top half of the shawl (which would be the second half you work) you’ll decrease 4 stitches every other row. For the bottom half of the shawl (the first half you work) you’ll decrease 6 stitches over two rows.

Calculating your row count

Determine your final gauge and desired depth along center back spine.
[Desired depth] / 2 = [Z]
[Z] x [1.4142] = [magic number]
[Magic number] x [row gauge] = [# of rows]
[# of rows] / 2 = [# of rows in each shawl half] AND [half # of rows in shawl]

Calculating your stitch count for the top shawl half

[half # of rows in shawl] / 2 = [# of dec rows in top shawl half]
[# of dec rows in top shawl half] x [4sts decreased per dec row] = [# of sts decreased in top shawl half]
Make sure this number is divisible by 4.

Calculating your stitch count for the bottom shawl half

[half # of rows in shawl] / 2 = [# of dec reps in bottom shawl half]
[# of dec reps in bottom shawl half] x [6sts decreased per dec rep] = [# of sts decreased in bottom shawl half]
Make sure this number is divisible by 6.

Calculating your cast on

[# of sts decreased in top shawl half] + [# of sts decreased in bottom shawl half] = [# of sts decreased total]
[# of sts decreased total] = [# of sts to CO]

Calculating your stitch marker placement

[# of sts to CO] / [2 shawl sections] = [# of sts in one section aka Y]

Knitting Instructions

CO [# of sts to CO].
R1: ssk, kY minus four, k2tog, pm, ssk, kY minus four, k2tog.
R2: p2tog, p to last 2sts, p2togtbl.
R3: ssk, k to 2sts before marker, k2tog, sm, ssk, k to last 2sts, k2tog.
R4: p2tog, p to last 2sts, p2togtbl.
Rep R3&4 to [# rows in each shawl half] AND also until [# of sts decreased in bottom shawl half] have been decreased.
R5: ssk, k to 2sts before marker, k2tog, sm, ssk, k to last 2sts, k2tog. R6: purl across.
Rep R5&6 to 4sts AND also [# of rows] have been worked.
Bind off loosely.

 



Get a Lifetime's Worth of Shawl Shapes!

Collectively the Shawl Geometry Series of books cover 75 shawl shapes from beginner to advanced, plus shawl shaping principles and theory. If you’ve enjoyed this blog post then check out the books, they cover enough shawl shaping to keep you happily knitting for a lifetime or two.

Get All the Shawl Shapes You'll Ever Need!

The previous post: Shallower Triangles
The next post: Side to Side Triangles


 

20
May
2013

Shawl Geometry: Shallower Triangle

This is the sixth post in a series about different shawl shapes and how to knit them. All the posts in the series can be found right here.

Shawl Geometry: all the knit shawl shapes you could even need

The Shallower Triangle shape has the same shaping placements as the Right Triangle, however the rates of shaping are different.

Rather than working a pair of increases (or decreases) at the center spine and a single increase (or decrease) along either edge every other row – you work a pair of increases (or decreases) at the center spine every third row, and a single increase (or decrease) along either edge every row.

Shallower Triangle from the top down

Knitting Instructions

CO 7sts.
{4 border sts + 2 sections + 1 spine}
R1: k2, yo, k1, yo, pm, k1, pm, yo, k1, yo, k2.
R2: p2, yo, p to last 2sts, yo, p2.
R3: k2, yo, k to last 2sts, yo, k2.
R4: p2, yo, p to marker, yo, sm, p1, sm, yo, p to last 2sts, yo, p2.
R5: k2, yo, k to last 2sts, yo, k2.
R6: p2, yo, p to last 2sts, yo, p2.
R7: k2, yo, k to marker, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k to last 2sts, yo, k2.
R8: p2, yo, p to last 2sts, yo, p2.
R9: k2, yo, k to last 2sts, yo, k2.
Rep R4-9 to desired dimensions.
Bind off loosely.

Shallower Triangle from the bottom up

To work this shawl bottom up, first figure out how many hem stitches to cast on. Determine your gauge and how deep you want your shawl to be along the center back spine.

Calculating your cast on

Determine your final gauge and desired depth along center back spine.
[Desired depth] / 2 = [Z]
[Z] x [1.732] = [magic number]
[Magic number] x [row gauge] = [# of rows]
[# of rows] / [3 rows per dec rep] = [# of dec reps]
[# of dec reps] x [8sts decreased per dec rep] = [# of sts decreased]
Make this number a whole number that is divisible by 8.
[# of sts decreased] = [# of sts to CO]

Calculating your stitch marker placement

[# of sts to CO] / [2 shawl sections] = [# of sts in one section aka Y]

Knitting Instructions

CO [# of sts to CO].
R1: ssk, kY minus four, k2tog, pm, ssk, kY minus four, k2tog.
R2: p2tog, p to last 2sts, p2togtbl.
R3: ssk, k to last 2sts, k2tog.
R4: p2tog, p to 2sts before marker, p2togtbl, sm, p2tog, p to last 2sts, p2togtbl.
R5: ssk, k to last 2sts, k2tog.
R6: p2tog, p to last 2sts, p2togtbl.
R7: ssk, k to 2sts before marker, k2tog, sm, ssk, k to last 2sts, k2tog.
R8: p2tog, p to last 2sts, p2togtbl.
R9: ssk, k to last 2sts, k2tog.
R10: p2tog, p to 2sts before marker, p2togtbl, sm, p2tog, p to last 2sts, p2togtbl.
Rep R5-10 to 4sts.
Bind off loosely.

This variation creates a triangle that is shallower then the traditional triangular shawl, this makes it a bit easier to wear because you don’t need to make a blanket to make your shawl wide enough to warp around your shoulders comfortably.

 



Get a Lifetime's Worth of Shawl Shapes!

Collectively the Shawl Geometry Series of books cover 75 shawl shapes from beginner to advanced, plus shawl shaping principles and theory. If you’ve enjoyed this blog post then check out the books, they cover enough shawl shaping to keep you happily knitting for a lifetime or two.

Get All the Shawl Shapes You'll Ever Need!

The previous post: Right Triangle
The next post: Triangle with Wings #1